Golden ponytails calm my nightmares
by KuroKuroTsuki
Summary: Shiki is haunted by nightmares of Rido and to make matters worse, Rima's starting to avoid him. What's a guy to do? Will Rima realise that she needs Shiki and that Shiki needs her before it's too late? SHIKIxRIMA
1. She's avoiding me

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters. All of THAT belongs to Matsuri Hino-sama. :D**

**Hey all! Gonna BEGIN my second VK fanfic wif much enthu~! :) Muhuhuhuhuhuhuhuhu. I feel so pumped up. Listening to Girugamesh while typing. Feeling all "HYPER-WRITING" SPIRIT-EE. **

**-Tsuki :P**

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On a regular day at Cross Academy, one would see young teenage girls in black clad uniforms crowding around a giant gate. But unlike those normal days, that day was rather quiet.

There were no squealing fan girls and no campus guardians trying to calm them down. Why?

The day class was on school break. But unlike them, the night class resumed lessons like normal. Yes, one might find this unusual but ominous clouds were looming over Cross Academy and the chairman had sent all the humans home.

The guardians were still on campus though. They were sitting in the main night class dorm along with the rest of the vampires.

"Please be careful around the campus these few days and make sure at least one person knows where you are at all times," Chairman Cross announced. The night class students all nodded and pretended to look as if they were really interested.

Chairman Cross smiled and clapped his hands together. "Alright then!" he got up from his seat and brushed his pants off. "Come Yuki, Zero. Let's go."

After the three left, Shiki turned to Rima, who was by his side as usual. "I think it's rather dumb that we have to do all this...the chairman doesn't know what the problem is."

"If there even is a problem," Rima scoffed. They were all used to the chairman's very overprotective and cautious personality. But most of the time, his predictions were right so they had all learnt to respect him.

Shiki prepared to walk back to his room with Ichijo and gave a tired wave to Rima as she and Ruka went off to theirs.

* * *

**~Shiki's POV~**

"Ichijo," I called to my roommate, who was undressing at the moment. "What do you think the problem is this time?"

"Honestly Shiki," Ichijo sighed as he unbuttoned his uniform top. "I don't know. Even Kaname seemed a bit puzzled."

"So Chairman Cross is going crazy?"

"H-Hey! I didn't say that!" Ichijo replied as he draped his shirt over a chair. "But I think the chairman's decision is right. I feel a little disturbed too."

I yawned and climbed into bed, not even bothering to change. "Rima's been acting a strange around me too."

"What? Really? No way. She seems normal to me," Ichijo laughed. I crawled under my blanket and propped my pillow up so I could talk to him properly.

"Ichijo...I'm serious. She...She seems more distant," my voice got softer at the last word. "Do you think it's because of what happened with...Rido?"

Ichijo froze when I said HIS name. But his smile returned in an instant. "No, Rima-chan still likes you. I don't think you two will ever be apart."

"We are apart right now," I pointed out.

"You know I don't mean it like that," Ichijo reassured. "But the girls and guy's dorms are _pretty_ far apart..."

* * *

"_Senri...you really are a splitting image of me...Born to do evil..."_

"No...No...You're wrong. I'm nothing like you," I shouted back. But it was useless. My voice was hoarse and restricted...like I had been strangled of something.

"_Don't deny it Senri...Look at what you did to your friend, Rima-chan..."_

Immediately, Rima appeared behind HIM, Rido. She had a pained expression on her face and she was holding her side. Blood oozed through her fingers. "Shiki...You hurt me."

"No, Rima!" I ran towards her. "It was Rido! I...I didn't hurt you!"

_"Just keep telling yourself that, Senri...But you will always feel the guilt inside your heart..."_

Rido disappeared and soon Rima's figure began to fade away. I ran faster, but it seemed as if I was running on the spot. Just as Rima's body was about to disappear completely, the floor opened up below me. I fell downwards and stretched my hand out to try and grasp on to the remaining features of my friend.

"RIMA!"

I shot up in my bed. My whole body was shaking with fear. I looked around the room to make sure Rido wasn't there. Ichijo was still asleep and snored lightly.

I pushed the covers away and staggered to the bathroom. I yanked the tap upwards and water spewed all over the counter. I scooped up some cold water and splashed it onto my face. I looked up into the bathroom mirror and stared at my paler than usual reflection.

Then, my eyes changed into Rido's eyes and I splashed more water onto my face. When I looked up again, my eyes were MY eyes again.

I panted heavily then went to get dressed for class. Ichijo was already up and ready. He smiled when he saw me but that smile soon melted away when he saw my face.

"Shiki, what's wrong?" He asked. "You look...like you're scared of something."

"It's nothing, Ichijo," I lied. I didn't feel like telling him about my nightmare just yet.

* * *

"Morning, Rima," I called to her but she pretended she didn't hear me and walked on with Ruka. At least, I think she pretended to. I mean, I was five feet away from her.

"Rima," I called her again but she feigned ignorance once more. I pushed forward through the crowd of night class students and caught onto her arm. "Rima!"

She wrenched it free and walked faster. I was so shocked that I stopped walking completely. Other students looked at me with annoyed faces and pushed past me. But I didn't care.

Rima...she just...ignored me. Ichijo caught up with me since he was at the back talking to Kaname. "Hey Shiki, where's Rima-chan?"

I just stood there, with my mouth hanging open. "Ichijo...Rima's avoiding me."

"What?"

Aido and Kain also joined us soon, since Aido forgot his books and the two cousins had to go back to their room to retrieve them. Aido was joking about something when he stopped by us. "Hey Shiki, where's your girlfriend?"

Ichijo gave him a warning look but he continued anyways. "What, she ditched you?"

"Hanabusa..." Kain tried to stop his cousin from saying anymore.

"I don't know, Aido..." I answered softly. "I don't know what's going on."

Aido kept quiet after that and the five of us(including Dorm leader Kuran) walked in silence to class.

I expected to see Rima at our usual seats but she sat further down with some other girls I didn't know. I slid into my seat next to Ichijo and rested my chin on my palm.

_Rima, what's going on_?

* * *

**Okay, that's the first chap. What did y'all think? I know it's pretty short but my mom complained about my sleeping late so I had to finish this up. I thought I might as well end it there. Sorry if you wanted it to be a little longer, ^^;**

**I'll try and make the next chap longer. SO SORRY IF IT TAKES A WHILE FOR CHAP 2 TO BE UPLOADED. been pretty busy.**

**Hope you enjoyed reading this :)**

**Please REVIEW!**

**-Tsuki XD**


	2. I'm not a monster

**Disclaimer: I do not own vampire knight or any of it's characters. ALL CREDIT BELONGS TO MATSURI HINO-SAMA! :3**

**HEy everyone! It's chapter 2 time! :)**

**Pls remember to review!**

**-Tsuki :P**

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_Rima...What's going on_?

After class, she stalked off without me and met with some other girls. Ruka finally realised that we weren't together and kept looking between Rima and me.

The guys wanted to have a _'social gathering' _at the boy's dorm but I didn't feel up for it. Ichijo dragged me along anyhow...

* * *

I sighed as the loud party music blared throughout the peaceful(not anymore)night. Aido had suggested that the guys should be allowed to bring a girl along with them as a partner, which totally defeated the purpose of it being a GUY'S _social gathering_, but Kaname approved of it anyway.

Kain, of course, had wanted to bring along Ruka. But he was too shy and ended up waiting until she had arrived(to see what the loud music was all about)before he asked her for a dance.

Kaname had Yuki. Who said 'yes!' immediately after Kaname asked her. The other campus guardian, Zero Kiriyu, came along too. Probably so he could 'guard' Yuki from whatever she needed 'guarding' from. Kaname seemed sort of pissed off at that...

Aido had wanted to invite Yori, Yuki's best friend. But she turned him down before he had even asked. So that means...he had no hope from the start?

(Ichijo: That's mean, Shiki.)

Whatever, it's your turn Ichijo. Ichijo didn't have anyone. Cos he's a loner.

(Ichijo: H-Hey! That's not true! I just didn't want to bring along a girl because you-)

Yeah...Rima. She came, because Ruka came. But she didn't give me a second glance. She stayed at the edge of the party while waiting for Ruka, who was dancing herself away with Kain.

I sighed again, louder, and went to be upset by myself at the dorm's balcony.

* * *

**~Ichijo's POV~**

I watched my friend wasting away at the balcony and I knew that something _had_ to be done. I summed up all my courage and headed over to Rima-chan.

"Rima-chan," I called her. She blinked and noticed I was there for the first time. "Oh, hey Ichijo."

"So...how's the punch?" I pointed to the small cup she was holding in her hand.

She looked down into it and stayed silent for a while. "It's not punch."

"Then what is it?" It sparked my curiosity and I crossed over to Rima-chan to see what she was actually holding in that cup.

"It's..." She pushed the cup into my face so she didn't have to explain.

"...Pocky?" I sweat dropped. Before she could manage to hide it by turning away, I saw a light blush form on her cheeks.

"I...had some extra boxes in my cupboard...from Shiki..." She said while her back was faced to me. I felt a little happier and relieved after I heard that. That means Rima-chan still harbours some love for Shiki right? Right...?

"I have to go now...I think Ruka is calling me," she said as she began to walk away.

"I don't hear anyone calling-"

"I have to go now," she insisted. Okay...Just then, as she was walking away, a fellow night class member rushed past us and Rima-chan stumbled and lost her balance. She fell backwards and I dived forward to catch her.

"Rima-chan!" I exclaimed as I caught her by the shoulders. She pryed open her eyes slowly and looked up into my face. "Thanks, Ichijo."

It seems like we caused quite a commotion because other students began to gather around us. Fast. I looked to the balcony to see Shiki standing there, staring at us. Then I saw it. That look of hurt in his eyes. It was as if he was saying, "Why are you doing this to me, Ichijo? With Rima..."

He turned and jumped off the balcony before I could say anything. "Shiki!" I called after him. I set Rima-chan gently down onto the floor before rushing to the balcony. "Shiki! Wait!" I yelled. I sighed and went back inside where the crowd had somewhat dispersed and Rima-chan had already disappeared off somewhere.

"Ichijo...You look troubled."

I turned around to find Kaname leaning against the balcony door. "Kaname..."

He walked past me and put his hand on my shoulder. "Don't be so worried," he patted it twice then moved on to entertain other people.

* * *

**~Normal POV~**

"Shiki!" Ichijo panted as he swung open his bedroom door. Shiki was there, sitting on his bed next to the window. He turned his head a bit to see Ichijo at the door, then turned back to face the window again.

"Shiki," Ichijo said again as he crossed over to his friend/roommate. He placed a hand on his shoulder but Shiki shrugged it off.

"Must have been easy...huh. Flirting with the girl I love behind my back while she's ignoring me..." Shiki said with his back still turned. Ichijo sighed and sat down next to him.

"That's not it, Shiki. I was talking to Rima-chan to try and find out why she's ignoring you. Then she tripped and fell...So I caught her," Ichijo explained slowly, trying to find the right words.

"You expect me to believe that, Ichijo?" Shiki said blankly, but this time he faced Ichijo. His eyes were shaky and the once icy cool irises were replaced with scared, pale ones.

"Shiki..." Ichijo tried to say something, but just seeing Shiki's vulnerable side made his throat dry up and his voice came out hoarse and restricted. "Rima-chan...She...was eating pocky that you gave her."

Shiki's eyes stopped shaking and a small smile tugged at his mouth but he wouldn't allow it to show. "I...see..."

"Well, anyways," Ichijo said as he stood up. "Let's get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a busy day."

"Eh? Why?" Shiki shot up from his bed at that. Ichijo looked stunned. "You haven't heard? Oh, right...You left the party early..."

Ichijo fluffed up his pillow and pulled his blanket away so that his bed was bare. "Tomorrow...is the DAY CLASS SPORTS FESTIVAL!"

"What's that got to do with us?" Shiki demanded.

"W-Well..." Ichijo stammered. "The Chairman decided that some of the night class students have to participate as guides, referees, and judges for the events."

Shiki kicked the corner of his bed then climbed in. "...That lousy baka..."

"The few of us participating is Aido, Kain, Ruka, You, me, and Rima-chan," Ichijo continued, but said Rima's name a little softer. "Kaname's busy tomorrow so we need one more person. But Kaname didn't want to cause trouble for the other students so he put you down as a guide and referee."

"What?" Shiki slammed his hands down onto his bed. "What the...Why can't you do it? You're the vice dorm head!"

"Um...Well, I'm the judge of all the events so I can't do something else too..."

"To heck with this crap!" The maroon haired vampire grumbled as he buried himself under his blanket. "Why me?"

"Kaname didn't say. But I'm sure he has his reasons," Ichijo smiled reassuringly even though he knew Shiki wasn't looking. "Good night, Shiki."

_Click._ The lights in Ichijo and Shiki's room flickered off and the two of them drifted into sleep.

* * *

**~Shiki's POV~**

_"Senri...Senri..."_

"Rido," I spat his name out in disgust. He was in my dream again. Standing there, looking all innocent. We were at a different place than the last dream. This time, we stood on the roof of Cross Academy. The wind blew strongly and I had to hold on to a pillar to keep myself from flying of the very building itself.

_"How rude," _he smiled. "_Calling your father by his name."_

"I never saw you as my father. Especially not after what you did to Rima."

_"But she hates you now, so why still hold a grudge against me?"_

I bit my finger and sent a blood whip straight at him. Rido chuckled and didn't make a move to dodge. When the blood whip was less than an inch away from his heart, he suddenly grabbed out and caught it. I couldn't believe my eyes. Never had anyone stopped my blood whip before.

_"Your blood is my blood and my blood is your blood, Senri,"_ he said as he pulled on the blood whip and I lost my balance, slowly sliding towards him. _"You can never deny that inescapable fact."_

"I will never be the same as you. You're a monster," I growled. Why was he still trying to convince me of it? I already said that I wasn't like him.

"_Who's to say you aren't either_?"

He let go of my blood whip and I stumbled backwards, falling flat on my back. When I looked up, I realised that I was on my bed, in my room. His last words sent a chill down my spine. I...I'm not like him. I'll never be like him. I won't hurt someone.

I realised that my whole shirt was soaked in sweat and I quietly tiptoed to the bathroom for a shower so as to not wake Ichijo.

_I'm not a monster._

_

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**that was it for chapter 2. I'm sorry it took so long. I really tried to update but it's been rather busy lately and I've been addicted to valkyria chronicles 2. ^^lll**

**Thx so much waiting for this chapter. :) I'll try and update chapter 3 ASAP. Till then...PLS WAIT!**

**P.S. remember to review please. :)**

**-Tsuki :P**


	3. Why are you tormenting me?

**Disclaimer: I do not own VAMPIRE KNIGHT or any of it's characters. THEY BELONG RIGHTFULLY TO MATSURI HINO-SAMA. ( ^ _ ^ )**

**hey guys! Sorry for the late update :( I've been kind of busy in school and stuff. SUPER SORRY **

**-Tsuki :P**

**P.S. AND THANK YOU REVIEWERS, FOR ALL YOUR PLEASANT REVIEWS~ (^_^)

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"Shiki. Oi. Shiki.** Dammit."**

I opened my eyes and looked up at Yagari-sensei. "Hmmm...?"

"Don't sleep during my lecture, kid. Or you'll never wake up ever again."

I sighed and sat up, trying to look as 'awake' as I could. Boy, it sure was hard. After a few seconds my eye-lids started to feel droopy again.

"Shiki, don't fall asleep again," Ichijo whispered from beside me. I turned to my left to talk to Rima but she wasn't there. _Right...She hates me now._

I_ didn't understand why she hated me. Did I do something wrong? Say something wrong? Why couldn't she just tell me?_

* * *

"Alrighty everyone~! The day class sports festival will begin shortly! Please move to your respective areas!" The chairman announced with a megaphone.

"I thought the chairman sent the day class back home because there was something bad going on..." I said to no one in particular, but Ichijo replied of course.

"He said the sports festival was mega important, so he called the day class back just for this week."

"This _week? _Isn't the sports festival just one day?" I stopped walking. I must have heard wrongly..._not_.

"**Well...**I guess I forgot to tell you..."

"Dammit Ichijo! Why do you always forget to tell me the important things?" I said with a hint of annoyance in my voice. Ichijo sweat dropped and smiled.

"This year's sports festival will be stretched out over a week because the amount of sports our school is doing has increased by...quite a lot. I can't even count it."

"Darn..." I muttered and sighed. "I guess we've got no choice. This is going to be tiring."

* * *

**~Normal POV~**

The day class students were gathering at the school gates one after the other. Shiki thought they looked like ants from where he was standing. The first game the chairman had assigned him to was the beanbag toss.

His luck, of course, wasn't good. About 3/4 of the beanbag toss participants were girls.

"Kyaah~! Shiki-kun~!" They shrieked and cheered. _Why are they even cheering...? I'm not participating...I'm just the freaking guide and referee. Heck, does this sport even need a referee_? He sighed.

"Please get to your starting positions..." He said monotonously. The girls nodded excitedly and ran to their positions. The guys went rather half-heartedly. "Why did it have to be Shiki-san..." the moaned.

Shiki blew the whistle and the competitors started flinging their beanbags into various baskets.

Out of the corner of his eye, Shiki could see something flying towards him. He immediately dodged backwards and grabbed it with his hand.

It was a stray beanbag. But he was standing clear out of the line of fire. Someone intentionally threw this at him. But all the competitors were focused on getting points. Besides, none of them had a grudge against him...right? He dismissed the thought and carried on watching the sport.

Shiki let his mind wander as he waited for the game to be over.

* * *

**~Shiki's POV~**

Kaname sure is a pain. Why did he put me down as a guide _and_ a referee? Couldn't he have picked on someone else? Why am I the only person with double roles?

Now after this game finishes, I have to take this group over to their next station then run to another station in time for my next group. What a rush.

I let my mind wander to Rima. Why was she ignoring me? Did I say something wrong? Is someone threatening her? I sighed. There was no way she was going to tell me. Just then, I felt something hard hit my head. I flinched and fell backwards. I looked down to see a rock the size of a fist at my foot. The weird thing was...there was some red stuff on it.

REALISATION. I pressed my hand against the side of my head and felt a surging pain. I removed it and saw that my hand was covering in my own blood. _No worries_, I thought. _It'll heal fast_. But it still hurt. I mean, how would you like getting hit on the head with a rock? A weak human would die from that.

I looked around. Then a head of orange gold crossed into my vision. _Rima_? Was she the one that threw that rock? No...Rima wouldn't do that. Right?

Well I had no way of making sure now. My group just finished their game.

* * *

"Finally...It's over," I mumbled as I dropped down onto my bed. My sweet sweet soft comfy bed. My body ached all over. Who knew managing a Sports Festival would be this tiring?

"You're that tired, Shiki? I feel super fine!" Ichijo smiled and sparkles practically floated off him.

"Well all you did was sit down all day and judge stuff," I grumbled. Yeah, he had the easy job.

"Hey!" Ichijo begged to differ. "It's not easy at all! Sometimes, it's really hard to decide between two competitors. There was this one girl who could balance six beach balls on her head! And another one could put chopsticks-"

"Ichijo..."

"I mean, how extreme is that? There was also this other guy-"

"Ichijo."

"I was totally freaked out. In the end I couldn't pick the champion 'cause-"

"ICHIJO!" ...Silence. I finally got him to shut up. "Just go to sleep."

* * *

He's here again. Rido. Why does he keep haunting me?

_"Senri..." _He smiled coldly. _"My beloved son..."_

"What do you want Rido? This is the third night," I growled at him. He took several steps forward and I vice versa.

"_Why are you walking away from me, Senri?"_

"'Cause I don't want to be near you. Isn't that obvious enough?"

Suddenly, he disappeared. I thought it was some illusion but then I realised that I had walked backwards into a misty fog. I couldn't see anything except for my own hands.

"_But I'm right next to you, Senri..."_

I jumped backwards at the sound of the voice. Then a whisper from my left. A call from behind me. Shit...He was all around me.

"Stop hiding, Rido. Come out here you coward!" I yelled at him. There was silence except for the echoes of my voice, shouting back at me: "You coward! You coward! You coward!" until they faded away.

_"Senri."_

I blinked and when I opened my eyes again, Rido was standing right in front of me. He grabbed hold of my neck before I could do anything and lifted me into the air. "_Aren't _you_ the coward Senri? Hiding your true self from your friends?"_

"What...true self?" I choked. I clawed at his hands but he held on with an iron grip.

_"_Your_ true self, Senri. The _monster._ Why won't you let it free?"_

He snapped and a mirror appeared beside us. I could see my reflection, but Rido's wasn't there. I was standing straight with my arms by my side, as if Rido wasn't strangling me to death at all. Then, my reflection changed.

Instead of normal Shiki Senri, I saw a beast. Crimson eyes, ragged maroon fur. Then I realised...This was me. I was a monster.

**_Snap out of it, Senri_!** I can't let Rido get to me. I shook my head. "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

* * *

I awoke at the sound of thunder. I was drenched in cold sweat and it was raining. Really heavily. I could hear my own heart beating. Lighting flashed and the room was lit up. Once or twice, I could've sworn I saw a beast with crimson eyes. I held my head in my hands.

_Why are you tormenting me?_

_

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_

**That was chapter 3~! Sry I took so long to update Honto nii gomen na sai. *deep bow***

**pls stay with me through the chapters! :) **

**-Tsuki :P**


	4. The puppet should just stay a puppet

**Disclaimer: I do not own vampire knight. everything belongs rightfully to matsuri hino~! :)**

**hey guys. I'm back. :) sorry for the long update, but i've been quite busy lately. (Lame excuse, I know.)**

**But, let's not bore you with this boring intro.**

**-Tsuki :P**

* * *

_Why are you tormenting me?_

"Shiki?"

I blinked open my eyes. Ichijo was standing over me, his manga safely cradled in his arms. "You look really tired these few days. Been getting enough sleep?"

"Yeah," I answered tiredly. "I'm fine. Just...tired I guess.."

"Is it the 'Rima-chan' thing?"

Before I could tell him to mind his own business, a teacher approached us and told us we had to get ready for the second day of SPORTS WEEK.

I rubbed the sleep outta my eyes and headed down to the sports track. It was a relay race today. I had to run alongside the track with the runners to make sure none of their passes were fouls.

_Great...running_. For a vampire, running outdoors in the day under the sun wasn't one of our biggies. To make things worse, today was super extremely sunny.

I sighed...A fellow nightclass classmate would wait for me at some pit stops with a bottle of blood(which would look like tomato juice) to refresh me. I stood at the starting line, waiting for the day class students to come.

Then, a bright head of strawberry blonde-golden-orange-y-oh heck, hair passed by my line of sight. I whipped my head around immediately.

Rima. There she was, standing at the bleachers in front of the track. She was holding a white parasol but...she wasn't wearing her ribbons. Her hair was let down and was blowing in the strong breeze. _That's odd...Rima never ever goes out without her ribbons. Maybe...she lost them...No not possible_. Rima may be many things, but she's definitely not a scatterbrain. She never loses anything. In fact, she's a neat freak.

I thought back to my childhood days and smiled...

* * *

**~Flashback~ 8 years ago, Shiki household.**

"Ne...Shiki...Your room is too messy!" Rima yelled at me while standing at my room door, her hands on her hips. Her hair hung gently over her shoulder. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she wore the most adorable pout on her lips. I looked at the miniature Rima and smiled.

"Geez! You're hopeless without me!" She grumbled and began re-arranging all my things, packing and dusting them nicely.

"Yeah, I know I am..." I said quietly under my breath. Rima was busily cleaning up everything when she suddenly stopped. She bent down and picked something up from the floor, staring at it in silence. I looked over her shoulder to see what she had found.

It was an old long ribbon. The colour was a little bit faded, but you could still see it's intricate design and pattern. "You like it, Rima?"

"It's really...pretty," she replied, completely mesmerized by it. I smiled and took it from her hands. She made a move to complain, then turned and saw me crossing my room. She saw me focused on a pair of scissors that was on my bedside table.

"Shiki!" She ran across to me, a panicked look on her face. "What do you think you're doing?"

"On the contrary, I haven't done anything yet..." I mumbled, not really listening to what she was saying. I picked the pair of scissors up and snipped the ribbon into two. "Now I have."

"Shiki! Why'd you do that?" Rima yelled at me, tears ready to pour out of her eyes. I walked over to her so that I was right in front of her.

"Shiki! Answer me-" She stopped talking when I grabbed half of her hair and bunched it into a side ponytail before tying half of the ribbon around it. I did the same with the other half of her hair.

She stood there, looking at me with her mouth open. I gave myself a victory yell in my mind: Successfully made Rima speechless.

"Shiki..." She said. Her cheeks were slowly becoming redder by the second.

"You can have them."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah...They're just something that makes my room messier. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

She shook her head and smiled. I don't even think her smile could get any bigger. She skipped out of my room humming a tune. I chuckled at her behaviour. Then a sudden realisation struck me.

"Oi Rima! What about my room?"

* * *

**~End of flashback~ Present time, Cross Academy sports grounds**

I continued staring at her until she finally turned her head and made eye-contact with me. Almost immediately, she turned back and stalked away. No, I couldn't let her run away from me again. I ran after her as fast as I could, avoiding all the spectators and competitors coming onto the track.

Rima...Rima...Rima...I could feel the sweat dripping down my back and my hair sticking to my face, but Rima was all I could think about. I finally caught up to her in the corridor.

"Rima!" I shouted and grabbed her shoulder. She spun around and well...she slapped me. I stood there, stunned for a moment.

"Go away, Shiki," she hissed. "I don't want to see your face ever again."

"But I still want to see you, Rima..." I whispered, my cheek stinging from her mighty blow. She turned her back towards me and I could've sworn I heard a sob. "Please Shiki...just go away..."

"Rima..." My heart ached for her. I don't care if she hated me(fine, I do care), all I wanted to do was be beside her. For the rest of my life. I couldn't stand it anymore. I lowered my head down to her shoulder. She didn't make any move to push me away or slap me again.

"Rima..." I said her name again. Then I sank my fangs into her neck.

Rima let out a small gasp and tried to push me off her. "Shiki stop!" She pleaded. I couldn't hear her. All I could hear was the sound of her blood being drained from her body. Oh, Rima...Your blood is so heavenly...I didn't want to let go.

I wanted to suck her dry...Rima's skin felt clammy under my grip. She started to get paler. "Shiki...Shiki, stop."

Her will to get me off her was weakening and her shoves were getting lighter. I stopped sucking her blood and retracted my fangs from her neck. She slid to the floor on all fours and beads of cold sweat dripped down her face.

"Rima...?"

Then, I heard Rido's voice. "_Wasn't I right, Senri? You _are_ a monster. You were going to suck the poor girl's blood until her body shrivels up. You were going to _devour_ her _completely."

I stared at Rima's pale, heavily fatigued body in front of me. "Oh...Oh my gosh...Rima...I-I am so sorry. I don't know what came over me..."

"Just GET AWAY, SHIKI!" She screamed at me. Then I saw her face. It was the most pained expression I had ever seen from Rima. Tears couldn't stop rolling down her cheeks and she stared at me with that resentful look. I knew what it was...hatred.

"Rima. Please, please forgive me-"

"GO AWAY!" She screamed again and again. "GO AWAY, SHIKI! LEAVE ME ALONE!"

I heard footsteps approach us and I turned around. It was Ichijou. "Shiki, the competitors are all-" then he noticed Rima. "Rima-chan! What happened!"

Ichijou dashed past me and went to help Rima to her feet. "Are you okay, Rima-chan! Omygosh! You're neck is covered in blood..."

Ichijou's voice died down and he looked from Rima's neck to my blood-covered mouth. "Shiki...did you..?"

I looked down, ashamed of myself. I was...going to devour her. I let my hands fall to my side and faced my back towards the both of them. "I'm sorry, Rima..."

Then I ran.

* * *

Rido's voice came to me again, as I sat on my bed after the relay race was over. Ichijou hadn't returned yet. I was gazing blankly out the window when I heard him.

"_So, Senri...how is that girl you were going to suck dry? Her name was...Touya Rima, am I right? Such a beauty...too bad she had to be friends with someone like you_..."

"Shut up, Rido," I growled, even though he was only in my head.

"_My, my, how rude. Is that any way to talk to your father_?" He mocked.

"I don't consider you as my father, Rido."

"_Well, we did have some family issues, didn't we...I would have liked that Rima girl as my daughter-in-law. She'd make a great banquet_-"

"Don't TALK ABOUT RIMA LIKE THAT!" I yelled at him. I gave him the reaction he wanted. I knew I played straight into his hands. But, I was just so frustrated and angry...even sunlight didn't seem that demoralizing anymore.

"_You shouldn't have fallen in love with that girl, Senri. Look what it brought her. You just caused her pain..."_ He paused as if thinking about something. Then he chuckled. "**_the puppet should just stay as a puppet, Senri_**."

Then I felt his prescence in my mind fade away and I just sat there, gazing out the window again. I heard the door open behind me and heard Ichijou's voice.

"Shiki...We need to talk," he said. "You...and Rima-chan..."

I didn't let him get across what he was trying to say. I turned around and stared at him.

"Ichijou...the puppet should just stay as a puppet..."

* * *

**That was chapter 4~ I'm sorry I took so long. Please forgive me! **

**Thank YOU to:**

**Zanaliay**

**xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx**

**satori0013**

**Narutomangafan**

**AyameMaaka**

**hakuria hitsugaya**

**OtakuIsLove**

**Aiko-chan**

**THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING ON MY FIC! :) TOTALLY in your debt! **

**bye bye-**

**Tsuki ( ^ _ ^ )**


	5. Dreams aren't to be taken lightly

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight, Matsuri Hino-sama does :)**

**Hey everyone~ This is chapter 5! I'm really thankful to all of you who reviewed. And to satori0013 and xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx, yes I hate Rido too ( ^ _ ^ )**

**and once again, pls remember to review~ :)**

**-Tsuki XD**

**p.s. thank u COACH ZANALIAY~! :)**

* * *

"Shiki...what are you saying?" Ichijo asked, his face covered with confusion.

"I'm saying what I'm saying, Ichijo..." I said blankly. "I am merely a puppet...who has taken many steps too far."

"Shiki-"

"I should have just listened to what he said from the start..." I cut him off again. Wow, it's starting to become a routine. Ichijo stares at me in puzzlement and walks closer.

"He?" He asks with eyebrows raised.

"My father, Rido," I answer. Ichijo's eyes went so wide you'd think they'd have popped right out of their sockets.

"What...?" was his whispered reply. "Shiki, what are you talking about? The incident with Rido is over already-"

"No Ichijo," I cut him off once more. "It wasn't over. It was never over and it will never be over. I cannot escape Rido."

Ichijo didn't give a reply that time. I think I stumped him but he carries on with another topic that I really didn't feel like discussing then.

"Shiki, about what happened with Rima-chan..."

"Look, Ichijo. I didn't mean it. Okay?" I growl in anger and crawl onto my bed. "It was an accident."

"You took a lot of blood from her, Shiki," Ichijo sighed as he, too, retreated to his bed for the night. "She's not in a very good shape. She'll be resting in her room for the next few days."

I didn't answer him. I thought that if I pretended to be asleep then Ichijo would stop saying things that made me want to cry. But, my problems were quickly solved when I heard light snores coming from my right.

* * *

I quietly opened the door to Rima and Ruka's room. Ruka wasn't there...strange. Maybe she was with Kain...(hint hint).

I tip toed over to Rima's sleeping form and sat down next to her. Even in the dark, I could still see the puncture wound on her neck.

"Rima...I'm sorry," I whispered to her. "I won't...I won't bother you anymore. I'm only causing you harm. So...I'll stay away from you."

I felt the stinging tears in my eyes, just threatening to fall out. "But, that's what you wanted right?" I chuckled sadly to myself. "That's why you avoided me. I don't actually know the real reason why you're avoiding me. What am I saying...? You don't want to listen to me chatter about my problems endlessly right?"

Just as I was about to stand up and go, a small hand reached out and grabbed my arm. "No...please don't go."

"Rima...?" I look down the arm and see Rima's sparkling eyes blink open tiredly.

"Don't go...Shiki," she said. What does this woman want? First she hates me and tells me to leave her alone forever, then I come to visit her in the night and she acts as if everything's normal and she doesn't want me to leave her side.

"Rima, why were you avoiding me?" I asked her, since she was awake and it didn't seem like she was going to slap me again.

"I...can't tell you. I'm not supposed to tell you," she choked, tears already rolling down her cheeks. "Shiki, I'm scared."

I decided that I couldn't get an answer out from her in that state, so I shifted closer to her and rubbed my thumb over her cheeks, drying her tears. "Don't be afraid, Rima. I'm here with you..." I contemplate my earlier sentence that I said when I first sat down next to her. "That's right, Rima...I'll always be with you."

And I leaned in closer until I could feel her breath on my face. "I'll always be with you," I repeat in a soft whisper that I myself could barely hear and placed my lips onto hers. Her eyes closed shut but her tears kept on flowing. Rima removed her lips from mine and whispered back.

"I believe you, Shiki."

* * *

"I cannot believe she's still ignoring me after what happened last night!" I grumbled to Ichijo. "It was practically a love confession!"

"Well, at least you seem happier than yesterday," Ichijo smiled. "What did happen last night anyways? I hope it wasn't any hanky-panky of sorts?"

"Shut up, Ichijo," I smacked him on the head. "It was just a kiss. And NOBODY uses the word "hanky-panky" in this time and age!"

"Just a kiss?" Ichijo frantically screamed. "How can it be just a kiss? You had an intimate love session with the childhood friend that you've always had feelings for!"

"I said shut up, Ichijo," I hissed at him. "It wasn't an intimate love session! It was just. A. Kiss." Other students began staring at us as we made our way down the hall.

"My dear Shiki has finally started ascending the stairs to adulthoo-" he sang out but his voice broke at that moment where I smashed his head.

"How heartless..." Ichijo sobbed as blood dripped out from his nose. Suddenly, we spotted Kaname walk out from the classroom. Ichijo immediately ran to Kaname and showed him his bleeding nose.

"Look, look Kaname! Look what Shiki did to me!" He wailed and hid behind Kaname, sobbing into his coat. "He was so mean to me!"

Kaname and I exchanged glances and he knew exactly what I wanted to say.

"I believe you have something you want to talk about, Shiki," he smiled in that oh-I'm-so-perfect smile. I nod nonchalantly and we both walked off, leaving Ichijo behind sobbing into the air.

* * *

"Why do I have two positions Kaname?" I asked him as he sat down in his dorm head chair thing.

"For the Sports Festival?"

"Yes, for the Sports Festival."

"I thought it would be for the best," he answered with a smile again. "I cannot trust Aido with two jobs, because he'll be flirting with all the girls. I cannot give it to Kain or Ruka either; both of them are working on carrying storage items out together. Ichijo is a judge and so am I."

He paused. "And you certainly wouldn't want to give Touya-san two jobs right?"

I sighed but I didn't give up. "What about Seiren?"

"She's off running errands for me."

"She's always off running errands for you. What is it that is so important?"

"Would you really like to know?" The look in Kaname's eyes drastically changed. It wasn't that same neutral look. The mask had come off.

"What is it?" I gulped unconsciously.

..."I'll leave it for you to find out yourself," Kaname's mask returned back on and he smiled coldly. "You can leave now, Shiki."

I let out an irritated click of my tongue and walked to the door. Just as I was about to close it shut after getting out, I heard Kaname say something that made my heart skip a little beat.

"Watch yourself well Shiki, dreams aren't too be taken lightly."

Did Kaname know about the dreams I've been having?

* * *

**hey guys. sorry for not updating within the week and sorry for the really short chappy. I did it all in half an hour. feel so proud of myself right now. **

**once again, thank you COACH Zanaliay. If you didn't send me mail to ask me about the next chapter I don't think I would have updated this early XD**

**Also, thank you reviewers and two new reviewers for the previous chappy:**

***Caffeyne***

***lycoris413***

**Thank you all so much XD**

**OH AND SORRY IF SHIKI IS A bit OOC. The tension was getting too high in the previous chaps so I completely dropped most of it for this chapter. Ichijo and Shiki feel more light hearted, no? :)**

**Anyways, I hope I'll update on the next chap really quicky quick quick. :D**

**Bye bye**

**-Tsuki ( ^ _ ^ )**


	6. The unexpected with Shiki's little rants

**Hey everyone! :D Tsuki here! I'm really happy right now cos my friend just joined fanfiction! let's give him a hand! *plucks out hand and hands it to friend***

**Tsuki's friend(let's just call him P for now)****: Ew...I don't want your hand.**

**Me: Fine. Be that way. **

**P: Just get on with the story! *turns to readers* Tsuki'll thank the reviewers at the end notes!**

**-Tsuki and P-san! :P**

* * *

"So how was the talk with Kaname?" Ichijo asked, all nicely recovered from his 'deadly' nose bleed.

"It was...okay," I mumbled. Did Kaname really know about my dreams? Or was he just toying with me?

"But you got you're answer right?" Ichijo probed. "To why you have two duties for the Sports Festival?"

"Yeah," I answered. "He didn't really give me a good reason, but it will do for now."

"What did he tell you then?"

"...It...was nothing important."

"...I see."

The conversation got a teensy bit awkward so I told Ichijo that I had left my books in our room. Of course, I ditched him.

* * *

I jogged off to the playing field where the day class was having their baseball and soccer game this afternoon. I rolled my sleeve up to look at the time. Good, I still have a nice three hour relaxation time before the hectic Sports Festival.

I was hoping to see Rima there again, but I didn't see a splodge of golden orange anywhere.

Soon enough, I got tired of walking around in the morning sunlight and retreated back to my room. It was rare for a vampire to sweat but I felt a bit sticky after my meeting with Kaname. Just looking at that guy can make a rock go into a coma. And that's something.

I opened my closet and brought out a black collared shirt and grey jeans that might not have suited me, but right then I didn't care. I just wanted to have a nice bath. But, life wasn't about to go easy on me. As soon as I turned on the shower in our room bathroom, the shower flew out of it's holder and went havoc all over the bathroom. When I finally got it under control, it was in pieces (which is kind of my fault since I got irritated and used my blood whip on it).

So this means that if I wanted to have a nice bath...Yup, they'll have to do.

The DORM BATHROOMS.

* * *

**~Normal POV~**

While deep in thought about what Kaname said to him, Shiki hastily gathered his clothes and made his way to the dorm bathroom. The Chairman really didn't slack off when he thought of the building plan and the structure.

The bathrooms were nice enough, with marble tiling and really, really shiny sinks and taps. Shiki was sure that the handle of the toilet bowl was made out of gold. The toilet seat enough looked like it was fit for a prince. But Shiki really prefered to bath in the sanctum of his own room, with the sense of 'no stranger's suddenly going to barge in while I'm showering' even though Ichijo did that quite often.

"I guess that's what you get when you live in the same dorm as pure bloods like Kaname," Shiki said outloud to no one in particular as he thought about the royalty-like bathrooms.

But because he was deep in thought, Shiki didn't pay attention to where he was going and took a left at the end of the corridor when he was supposed to go right.

He walked further down the hallway and stopped in front of what he believed was the boys' bathroom door. Absentmindedly, he turned the door nob and entered without looking at the sign on top of the door.

The door flung open and Shiki was greeted with a fresh scent of strawberry shampoo.  
"The person before me must have used very strong shampoo for a guy..." He thought to himself. He was still thinking about what Kaname meant when he heard a little shriek. He looked up and saw well...he saw...Rima.

Touya Rima, just out of the shower holding up nothing but her towel to protect her body from Shiki's eyes. Her golden orange hair hung wet over her pale shoulders and a look of absolute terror and embarassment was plastered onto her face.

"Ah, Rima," Shiki said, his face expressionless even though he was exposed to something that most men could only dream of. "What are you doing in the male bathroom?"

"GET OUT!" Rima screamed at him, her face getting redder by the second. Rima grabbed hold of her towel tightly with one hand and shoved Shiki out of the bathroom with the other. Before Shiki even had a chance to register what was going on, his clothes were thrown out after him and the door was slammed in his face. "I hate you, you lousy pervert! hentai!" He heard Rima's muffled insult from the other side of the door.

* * *

**~Shiki's POV~**

The fact that I saw Rima almost naked only registered in my mind around dinner time. Yes, I am pretty slow when it comes to things like this. I was stoning in my room after dinner, when Ichijo started laughing maniacally in his bed next to mine. I turned around and gave him an irritated stare. But he couldn't care less about me then; he was in his own world of manga.

I sighed and tilted my head so I could read the title. 'Otomen.'

I was a bit taken back. "Ichijo," I asked him. "Are you reading...a shoujo manga?"

Ichijo looked up from his manga and I could see tears of laughter in his eyes. "Oh but Shiki! It's just so cute and hilarious! Kanno Aya is a genius! I'm going to take her down!"

Now pay attention: When Ichijo says 'I'm going to take *insert name here* down!' or something like that, he doesn't mean he's going to kill the said person or do anything strange or erotic to that person. It just means that he's going to take that person's name down into this strange little book that he keeps.

I asked him what it was once and he told me it was for taking down the names of people he admired. And he literally did that, trust me. Once during Yagari-sensei's class and sensei was explaining something about the old Vampire Hunters and Ichijo just stood up and shouted really loudly, "I'm going to take you down Yagari-sensei!"

That, of course, gave everyone the wrong impression that Ichijo wanted to fight Yagari-sensei. Thankfully the matter was cleared up and now whenever Ichijo shouts that phrase, everyone would just laugh, remembering that uber super hilarious memory.

I once looked inside his book too, and the list of names was endless. He had to get another book to write names in only after a week. I flipped through the book while he was singing in the shower-oops, shouldn't have spilt that but who cares-and there were names there that I already recognised.

**_Kaname: because he keeps such a cool face on that you don't even know what he's thinking._**

**_Aido: because he and I can talk about manga. _**

**_Kain: because he has spent nearly his entire life hiding his love from Ruka._**

_**Yagari-sensei: he looked so cool with his eye patch! I might want to become a piratevampire now! (^ _ ^ )** (_A/N: This shows that Ichijo wasn't even listening to Yagari-sensei's lesson when he shouted "I'm going to take you down, Yagari-sensei!")

**_Rima-chan: because she can put up with Shiki._**

**_Shiki: because he can keep a straight face and _****looks like a doll **(this part was hastily canceled out)**_looks like he's not afraid of anything._**

I stopped reading her because 1) Ichijo's reasons were just too ridiculous and it hurt my brain thinking about what an idiot he is. 2) Because his second point about me made me feel a slight pang of shame.

Is that how I looked to everyone? Someone who doesn't look like he's afraid of anything?

* * *

Well, anyway, back to present time, Ichijo was still lying on his bed reading that shoujo manga of his when I decided that a good night's rest would be good about right...now. I tossed myself onto my bed and fell asleep before my head even touched the pillow.

* * *

"_Hello, my little one..."_

_"_Rido..."

* * *

**BAMPDADADUM! A CLIFFHANGER~! SHIKI HAS ANOTHER RIDO DREAM!WHAT WILL RIDO SAY TO OUR CUTE AND ADORABLE SUPER AWESOME HERO, SHIKI?**

**please wait for me to type the next chappy so you can find out ( ^ ~ ^ ) **

**A BIG THANK YOU TO Zanaliay AGAIN, FOR STORY IDEAS~ :) THX COACHIE! oh and thank u to PSYDE-san too! :) Both of u are super awesome~**

**thank you to**

**Aiko-chan  
OtakuIsLove  
NarutoMangafan  
hakuria hitsugaya  
AyameMaaka  
satori0013  
xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx  
Caffeyne  
lycoris413  
Mi3staR  
nikki-chii  
xXxDarkenened-AngelxXx**

**for REVIEWING~! **


	7. Confessions, be truthful Shiki!

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or any of its characters. They belong to Hino-sama.**

**Hey everyone! I tried my best to update within the week :) (which I didn't) hope it's ok!**

**-Tsuki :P**

* * *

"You again," I spat at him. Rido simply smirked and swaggered past me, placing his hand onto my shoulder.

_"Somebody should really teach you some manners, Senri,"_ he taunted. _"You obviously lack them."_ He slung his arm over my shoulder and leaned down until his mouth was at my ear. _"Especially walking in on Rima-chan in the bathroom..."_

My eyes widened and I shoved him away. He smirked when he got the reaction he wanted. "_That's just despicable, Senri,"_ he said in a pathetic voice. "_Violating a woman's privacy like that...have you no shame?"_

"S-Shut up, Rido," I said, but the words escaped my mouth before I could cover up my stammer. He looked terribly delighted now.

"_Why Senri, your face is growing red..."_

I ran forward and stuck a punch into his face. But since it was a dream, my fist just went clean through his skull. He laughed and snapped his fingers. Rima-chan appeared beside him, with just her towel around her body.

Her face was flushed, just as it was when we...clashed in the bathroom.

I was waiting for her to say that same line about me being a pervert and all, but what came out was...

"Shiki! You...You...traitor!" She said with tears in her eyes. "I trusted you! But you still betrayed me..."

"What? Rima...What are you talking about?"

"That night...That night when Rido was...was in your body," the "fake" Rima choked. "You let him take over your body, Shiki. You weren't strong enough. You let him hurt me!"

"No," I tried to explain to the fake Rima, which was a bit dumb since this was a dream and she wasn't really Rima. "I...I tried my best Rima. I would never hurt you intentionally."

"Liar..." She said. "Your best...your best _isn't enough_, Shiki. It isn't enough for anyone..."

And with that, Rido got rid of her with another snap of his fingers. "You really are weak, Senri."

He walked closer until we were an arm's length apart. "_I'll make you stronger, Senri...Much much stronger,_" he whispered as his index finger extended to touch my forehead. I couldn't move. It was as if my whole body was made out of stone.

"S...Stop..." I managed to force out. Rido grinned and removed his index finger. Immediately, the weight was lifted off my body. But my legs started to feel like jelly and I collapsed to the floor.

"I'll never accept anything from you," came my answer to his question. He simply shook his head, "_you already have..."_

"What?" I asked. Did I...?

"_The hunt begins now, Senri_."

* * *

Right after he said that, I felt wind tugging on my clothes and the scenery before me changed. We were in the snowy mountains and by the looks of it, it was hailing...bad.

And all I had on were my PJs.

I walked around for a few minutes, trying to find out where the heck I was, with hail stoning me from every direction. "Rido!" I shouted out but all I got as a reply were my echoes flying off the mountains.

But soon, like a sadistic answer, a bloodwhip flew right past me, grazing my left arm and shoulder. I started bleeding immediately(of course), the blood seeping through my white PJs.

A few seconds passed but...the wound wasn't healing? The blood was still there and I could feel the open gash on my arm.

"_Wounds don't heal here, Senri,"_ I heard Rido's cruel voice(I am so sure he's sadistic. He'd be the master in an SM relationship...). "_Not in my dimension..."_

So I ran. I had to get away from Rido. But I was already losing so much blood from that wound. I just need to wake up.

_WAKE UP SHIKI! WAKE UP! _

I just need...to wake up.

_SHIKI! WAKE UP!_

Just..a little more...

* * *

I woke with Ichijo's concerned face looming over my own. I looked to my left; the curtains were still drawn so I'm guessing it was early morning or around 8 o' clock. My gaze drew back to Ichijo.

"Shiki...are you okay?" He asked, his voice a little shakey. "You looked like you were having a nightmare and you were panting really loudly."

"Sorry I woke you up," I mumbled and pushed my covers aside, ready to get up. Suddenly, a searing pain shot through my left arm. "Agh!" I winced out loud.

"Shiki!" Ichijo cried and jumped over the bed to the side that I was sitting at.

But...it was a dream! There's no way...I rolled my sleeve up to make sure. There was no blood anywhere, but the pain was there. The pain was real.

"Shiki!" Ichijo said again. "Shiki, what happened?"

"I had a nightmare..." I decided to tell him. I could trust Ichijo, like he had trusted me with so many of his childhood tales.

"I had a nightmare...Rido was in my nightmare...No,

"Rido IS my nightmare."

* * *

**I am sooo sorry that this chappy is so short~ please forgive me! I promise~! I promise I'll make the next one longer! But for now, *bows deeply in apology* this is all I have! **

**please stay with me until the next chapter! **

**Wow, 27 reviews for the previous chapters in total :) I'm making progress huh? Anyways, thank u to my new reviewers**

**Higanbana.4 and PSYDE-san**

**and also, the others:**

**Aiko-chan  
OtakuIsLove  
NarutoMangafan  
hakuria hitsugaya  
AyameMaaka  
satori0013  
xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx  
Caffeyne  
lycoris413  
Mi3staR  
nikki-chii  
xXxDarkenened-AngelxXx**

**and coachie Zanaliay **

**THX GUYS! :)**

**So, for now...SAYONARA~ **

**-Tsuki :P**


	8. Relief for just a second

**Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight or any of it's characters. They belong rightfully to Hino Matsuri. **

**I'm so sorry this is so late, and I'm especially sorry to Coach Zanaliay! I'm SO SORRY I FORGOT TO PUT YOUR NAME IN THE PREVIOUS CHAPTER! And after all the things U've done for me! Please forgive this BAKA! m(_)m **

**And thank you to my reviewers and SORRY to all of you too! **

**-Tsuki **

**P.S. In this chapter, some light is finally shed on the mysterious Rima!**

* * *

"Rido IS my nightmare."

Ichijo just stared at me as those words left my mouth. "But...Shiki...Rido is gone-"

"He will never be gone, Ichijo. As long as I'm around..." My voice trailed off at the end and I winced. The pain on my shoulder was making my head throb. Ichijo saw my look of pain and lessened the distance between us. "Shiki?" Ichijo asked. I nodded, acknowledging him. I knew what question he was going to ask after that.

"I can make it for the Sports Festival, it's not that bad," I said, putting my "mask" back into place. I musn't let my emotions out like that again...

* * *

_Darn it...I was so careless...How could I let my emotions slip like that? Baka shiki._..I cursed at myself. I stared over at the next field where Ichijo was judging. Rima's there too...

Suddenly, the events of last night played back in my mind...with Rido's last words: "_Wounds don't heal here, Senri. Not in my dimension."_

I shuddered and double checked my left arm to make sure it wasn't bleeding. The pain had numbed hours ago, though there was still a dull ache. I rotated my arm slowly as I watched the girls' basketball competition.

Was it really a wise decision to tell Ichijo? My eyes drifted to the next field again. Ichijo sat comfortably in a puffy chair but he shot me worried looks every now and then. I sighed and told myself that it was. My shoulders felt a bit lighter; like a heavy burden had been lifted off them.

But just a bit.

* * *

"Rima!"

She turned around, saw me, and whipped her head back all in a single second. I called again and grabbed her shoulder. She didn't turn around.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked.

"No Shiki, I'm not...It's just," she started but I cut her off.

"Is it _him_?"

"Shiki..."

"I knew it! It's him, isn't it? What did he tell you?" I demanded. If Rido had been threatening Rima or even lay a finger on her in her dreams, I would kill him. No, I would flame him, decapitate him, give his body to the sharks _then_ kill him.

Rima sighed, seeing that I wouldn't give up. "Can we not talk about this here, Shiki?"

I looked around. We were in the hallway and people were staring at us. I kept my mask on even though inside, I was just a tad embarrassed.

* * *

"Here is fine, right?" I said as I closed the door to Rima's room. She nodded and sat down on her bed. For the first time, I realised how worn out she looked. Dark circles underlined her beautiful eyes and her hair wasn't combed.

"So..."

Suddenly, she burst out into tears. "Shiki...It's so horrible! Every night, Rido invades my dreams and-" she choked. I sat down next to her and she buried her face in the crook of my neck. "You wouldn't believe all the horrible things he's done to you! Whenever I see you I can't help but think of those nightmares."

I hushed her and slowly combed my fingers through her hair. "It's okay, Rima. I'm here now..."

I wanted to tell her that I was having the same problems too, that Rido was coming into my dreams and making me miserable. I wanted to tell her about last night, but just seeing her so broken in my arms...It would just make her more worried.

_Damn it, Shiki! Be truthful! You already decided to tell Rima!_ I mentally smacked myself. I placed my thumb on Rima's chin and tilted her face upwards, so that her tearful eyes met mine. "Rima, I-I'm okay...So don't be worried. I'll protect you from Rido, I won't do anything to harm you...So please don't avoid me anymore. Please let me be with you."

"I want to be with you," was her simple answer and that was all I needed to hear. In mere seconds, our faces were so close that I could feel her warm breath. "Shiki, promise me you won't do something stupid and get yourself killed."

"Promise," I murmured and I let my lips touch hers and I could taste her strawberry lip gloss.

"Shiki?"

"Hmm?"

"Can I have some blood?"

It wasn't all the time that Rima asked for blood like that, so of course, I let her. I slowly undid the top button of my uniform so that the nape of my neck was exposed. Rima leaned over and the top of her head reached my nose. I felt a little prick and the sound of drawing blood ran through my ears. Strangely though, they sounded like music to me. I let a small smile grace my lips and I kissed the top of Rima's head. I'll do anything for Rima. Anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

Rima was my balance, Rima completed my whole person, Rima drove away whatever fears I had. Rima was perfect.

"I love you," I breathed into her hair. I felt Rima's fangs retract and she glanced up at me. "Did you say something?"

"No," I lied. That was a once in a blue moon thing. If Rima didn't hear it, then I'd just have to try another time.  
"You know that my Sports Festival team is out there wondering where their beloved Shiki Senri disappeared off to."

"Then you'd better go," she smirked and pecked me on the cheek before she shoved me roughly out of her room. So there I stood, with the faint scent of strawberry on my lips.

* * *

"Thank you all for helping out for yet another day!" Ichijo smiled as the meeting for the Sports Festival came to an end. "Remember to wake up early tomorrow for yet another exciting day!"

I snorted. To Ichijo, everything was exciting from his manga down to an old bag lady crossing the street two miles from here. As I trudged up the stairs I saw Rima on the opposite side of the Dorm lobby, chatting with Ruka and some other girls. Her eyes met mine and she gave a small wave.

"Goodnight," she mouthed. I waved back to her and continued up the stairs with Ichijo.

"That's good," he smiled. "She's not ignoring you anymore."

As soon as we entered our room, Ichijo's face became grim and I knew exactly what he wanted to talk about.

"Shiki, we need to talk about-"

"Rido right? Yeah, I know," I finished for him. He nodded solemnly. "What's been going on?"

I related all the past nights with him, everything about Rido and what he's been doing in my dreams-or should I say, nightmares. For the whole time I was explaining, Ichijo seemed to take in every word and his face looked as if he was cramming for a test in 5 minutes.

"I'll talk to Kaname about this tomorrow," he decided and both of us got our beds ready for nice slumber. (For a few more hours that is. Curse that Sports Fest.)

* * *

I was there again. In the snowy mountains. I was wearing them again. My PJs. Worst of all, I still had it. That slash on my left arm.

I hobbled through the snow pathetically, shouting out for anyone. _Anyone who wasn't Rido that is_.

But apparently, my luck was just in the dumps.

"Shiki! There you are," I heard his sickening voice call. He chuckled and hovered after me as I tried to stumble away from his ghostly figure.

"I know you're happy to see me," he cheshire-grinned. "And I'm sure you'll be happy to see that Rima-chan is here too."

He snapped his fingers twice and Rima appeared before him, donning a sleeveless white dress. It blended in so well with the surroundings that from my point of view, she just looked like a pile of floating limbs (don't tell Rima I said that).

"Now Shiki, remember what I told you?" He indicated to my bloody arm. I grimaced. Oh, I remembered it all too well.

"You're on my hunting grounds now, Shiki. And the only wild beast I see here is...you," he pointed a finger at me and I flew maybe at least 20 feet back.

"But I'm tired today so I'll leave the hunting to your precious," he paused and caressed Rima's face. "Rima-chan."

I could only stare at him wide-eyed before he snapped his fingers and disappeared. Almost immediately, Rima charged towards me with her hands poised to stab right through my flesh. I quickly side stepped out of the way but like a robot, Rima made a 90 degrees turn and pressed her palm onto my chest.

I felt as if all the air was being forced out of my lungs and I crouched low to roll past her. But, she seemed to know what I was thinking because as soon as I crouched down, she kicked me hard in the ribs and threw me up into the sky with her foot.

Boy, I didn't know Rima could be this strong. Even in a dream.

But I didn't have time to contemplate that as I rocketed back down to the earth, I saw Rima draw one leg back as if she was bracing for an impact. But I knew that she wasn't.

I knew that as soon as I saw streaks of blue-ish light charge between her fingertips. She was going to do it.

Thunder rang out in the ominous sky. Rima drew her hand back so that it was inline with her back leg. A sound like a rubber band being snapped flew past my ears. At first I thought it was just my ears popping due to the pressure, but I realised I was dead wrong when I saw Rima's hand at her waist and the blueness of her lightning gone.

I pressed my hand onto my own chest and felt the sickening feeling of that which all vampires crave. I don't know which one hurt more, the wound or the fact that...even though I knew it was a dream...

That the girl I love had just slashed me.

* * *

**Alrightie. That's chapter 8 **

**Once again, sorry that it took so long. I just realised that the last time I updated was on May the 8th. O_O  
I feel soooo tardy~ =.=**

**Thank you very much to my reviewers :D :**

**Outback-Girl  
Higanbana.4  
****Aiko-chan  
OtakuIsLove  
NarutoMangafan  
hakuria hitsugaya  
AyameMaaka  
satori0013  
xXxWolvesInTheNightxXx  
Caffeyne  
lycoris413  
Mi3staR  
nikki-chii  
xXxDarkenened-AngelxXx  
PSYDE-san**

**and Zanaliay :D Thank u for cheering me on coachie! I don't think that I would have had the heart to update all this time if it weren't for u! :D *cheers for coachie***

**Well, I'm going to be working on a few other fics BUT DON'T WORRY. I'LL STILL UPDATE THIS ONE. But it just might take a little longer!**

**I HOPE YOU ALL STAY WITH ME TILL THE END! (^o^)/**

**-Tsuki :D**


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